Texas Tech’s Department of Agricultural Education & Communications once again received top honors across a variety of categories from the American Association for Agricultural Education. The winners were recognized on Wednesday (Sept. 11) at the organization’s 2024 Western Region AAAE Conference in Chico, California.
“We’re extremely proud of the work our students presented at Western Region AAAE,” said Laura Fischer, an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Communications within Tech’s Department of Agricultural Education and Communications. “These awards are proof of the innovative and rigorous research we conduct in AEC, which is critical for driving progress and finding solutions to challenges facing agriculture and natural resources.”
Among the top winners presented at the meeting include:
- First Place / Outstanding Manuscript Award: “Decoding the Beef: An Analysis of Thoughts in Response to Beef Nutrition Influencer Messages on Instagram” Jessica Hemphill, Assistant Professor Laura Fischer, Mackensie Todd, Brooke Vyvlecka & Professor Courtney Meyers.
- First Place / Outstanding Innovative Poster: “Perception to Policy: Students’ Views and Collaborative Development of Ethical AI Usage in Academia” Kyler Hardegree, Kynzie Hardegree, Lecturer Kylie Harlan & Assistant Professor Laura Fischer
- First Place / Outstanding Research Poster: “Nutritional Nuances: Audience Segmentation for Tailored Beef Nutrition Communication” Jessica Hemphill, Assistant Professor Laura Fischer, Brooke Vyvlecka & Professor Courtney Meyers.
- First Place Innovative Poster / People's Choice Award: Krysti Kelley, Assistant Professor of Practice Chelsea Hatch, Clarissa Darby & Professor John Rayfield
- Second Place Research Poster / People's Choice Award: “You are a Teacher First: Content Analysis of Classroom Qualifications on Job Openings in Texas” Assistant Professor of Practice Chelsea Hatch, Krysti Kelley, Clarissa Darby, Dylan Sweatt & Professor John Rayfield
- People's Choice Outstanding Presentation: “Describing the Demand: A Content Analysis of Secondary Agricultural Education Job Openings in Texas” Krysti Kelley, Clarissa Darby, Assistant Professor of Practice Chelsea Hatch, Dylan Sweatt & Professor John Rayfield
- First Place / People’s Choice Award: Research Poster: “Who Has the Final Say? Consumers’ Trusted Sources for Beef Nutrition Information” Breely Huguley, Assistant Professor Laura Fischer, Brooke Vyvlecka & Professor Courtney Meyers
- Second Place / People’s Choice Award: “Nutritional Nuances: Audience Segmentation for Tailored Beef Nutrition Communication” Jessica Hemphill, Assistant Professor Laura, Brooke Vyvlecka & Professor Courtney Meyers
- Second Place - Research Division / People’s Choice Award: “Perceptions of Rural Communities by College Students from Rural Areas” Marexy Guerra & Assistant Professor Jason Headrick
- Second Place / People’s Choice Innovative Poster: “Perception to Policy: Students’ Views and Collaborative Development of Ethical AI Usage in Academia” Kyler Hardegree, Kynzie Hardegree., Lecturer Kylie Harlan & Assistant Professor Laura Fischer
AAAE is one of the nation’s premier national societies for social science scholarship in food, agriculture and natural resources. Program officials note that its mission is to foster excellence in the discovery and exchange of evidence-based solutions for social science challenges in agriculture and related sciences.
Tech’s Department of Agricultural Education & Communications has 15 faculty members with more than 280 undergraduate students and 115 graduate students. Faculty members specialize in one of three disciplinary areas: teacher education, agricultural communications, and agricultural leadership. Master’s degrees are available in agricultural education and agricultural communications, and a departmental Ph.D. program allows students to focus on any of the three areas. In addition, graduate certificates are available in agricultural leadership and agricultural communication.
CONTACT: Scott Burris, Chair, Department of Agricultural Education & Communications, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-8689 or scott.burris@ttu.edu
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